Soulguard (21 page)

Chapter 47

              “Why doesn’t he ever try to jump in bed with any of the women around the base?”

              I stopped as I heard the voice of Jenna Seymore around the corner inside the dome.

              Prada’s voice answered, “Ric said the last time he had a girlfriend, she was targeted by the Archmage. They blocked her from the Source just to get to him.”

              “That’s horrible.”

              “Ric says that’s why he stays alone all the time. He doesn’t want to paint any more targets on the backs of people he cares for.”

              Ric is a perceptive man. I’m human and I want companionship as much as anyone else, but the more people involved with me, the more ways the Archmage had to come at me. He already had too many targets and I didn’t want to give him more. I’ve seen several good looking Guards on the base and I am a Soullord, I can tell when someone is interested.

              “That’s so sad, but why would Ric be talking to you about it though?” Jenna asked in an innocent tone.

              I almost laughed aloud as I pictured Prada’s face turning red. I turned and went back the way I had come. I didn’t want to embarrass the two women. They are my friends and they genuinely care about me. It gives me a nice feeling to know that my Guards care.

              I walked around another hallway to get to the Dome. When I entered, Jenna and Prada were across the Dome from me. There were several of the new Guards out in the center ring sparring and I stopped to watch. I turned my head as Trent walked up beside me.

              He’d recovered fairly quickly from the damage he’d taken in Little Rock. My arm was still in a cast to keep me from using it. I’d Pulled the Source into me and my arm was almost healed but bones mend slower than flesh and I didn’t want to Pull too much at a time into it.

              “Hey, Boss.”

              “That sounds funny, coming from you.”

              “Still true, though,” he said, “You’ve changed from the plain, unremarkable guy I knew in school. I know a lot of it was act, but some of it was just you. Now, you’re harder. What you did in that cavern saved my life, but you’d have done it for anyone here.”

              “I seem to remember a single Guard standing over me holding off a horde of really pissed off Demons. You saved my life as much as I did yours,” I said.

              His face turned a little red, “I’m a clown a lot of the time but I’m not stupid, I hear what they’re saying about you. Each and every one of these men and women would follow you into Hell and back you up as you kick in the teeth of the Devil.”

              My face was burning a little as well, “They’ll do their duty as Guards. That’s what we do. We go into Hell every time we enter those caves after them. Sometimes we die, sometimes we come back broken, but there’s one thing we never do.”

              “What’s that?”

              “Soulguards never quit.”

              “Hoorah.” I heard Rictor say from behind us. I hadn’t even noticed him approach. “There’s a Marine in you, Boss. If you weren’t Guard, I could see you right out there in the trenches with em.”

              That means a lot when it comes from an ex-Marine Master Sergeant.

              “So what’s on the agenda for today, Boss?” Rictor asked.

              “Thought I’d check out the new guys’ shields, then I got a meeting with the Twins. Figured, as long as I’m healing up, I’d take some lessons about running the base. If the Archmage really wants to hurt me, he can recall the Twins. I’d be lost. I’ve learned a little over the last couple of years but, I keep putting it off. So I’ve spent the last week meeting with the Twins and learning as much as I can.”

              “That’s a good idea,” Rictor said, “At least you have a damn fine Guard Captain to handle the other part of the operation for you.”

              “Oh, hell, are they replacing you?”

              He laughed aloud and slapped me on the back, “Catch you later, Boss.”

              As Ric walked away Trent shook his head, “Right there is living proof of what I’m saying. That man would follow you anywhere.”

              “He’s a good man and a good Guard,” I said.

              “And one day you’ll need us all. There’s a day coming when you’ll have to face that arrogant bastard in Montana. When that day comes, you’ll have the whole Guard at your back. Know that,” Trent said with a fierceness I’d never heard from my friend before. He turned and walked back out of the Dome.

              I still don’t know why the Guards keep placing that level of loyalty to me, personally, I just do what I’ve been trained to do. I learn new abilities all the time but I’m not learning them fast enough. I know that I could have done something to save Janicek and Wilson. I just have to figure out what it is, because the loss of those two Guards left a hole in my heart. They were my friends and I don’t want to lose any more of them.

***

              “Most of the actual running of the base is handling the pay of the men,” Sandy said. Her twin brother Randy was sitting quietly as she spoke, “The equipment is low maintenance, unlike the Military’s would be. We don’t have to supply ammunition to the soldiers, for one thing.”

              “We do have a Mess hall but we closed it down when none of the Guards would eat there,” Randy offered, “They’d rather draw the per diem pay and eat good food instead of that.”

              “I can definitely see that,” I said, “I never knew food could be that good till I moved here.”

              “We’ve heard some of the tales of your bottomless pit,” Sandy said.

              “It’s not bottomless, I just burn a lot of calories. Got a high metabolism.”

              “Sure you do, you must actually burn off the food with the Source or something.”

              I looked down at the papers in my hand.

              “You do!” Randy laughed aloud, “That’s how you eat so much. You really burn the food off with the Source!”

              “I tried to work out enough to make up for it but I would have to work out every minute of every day to make up for all the stuff I eat. This is so much easier.”

              “Have you tried to just not eat as much?”

              “But it tastes so good. Unless you’ve been raised by two evil Soulguards who made it a point to feed you the worst things in the world you wouldn’t understand.”

              “You’re saying Kyra Nightwing can’t cook?” Sandy asked. Disbelief rolled across her aura, “They used to tell tales about how good that woman’s cooking is.”

              “Don’t you tell me that! I know why she cooked so badly, but don’t even think of telling me she is some sort of Master cook. I will not be responsible for my actions if I heard something like that.”

              Randy was trying to hide his laughter but it wasn’t working to well.

              “Ok, let’s get back to business then since you don’t want to hear about Kyra’s cooking skills after the time she spent in Italy.”

              Randy laughed harder as he saw the devastated look on my face.

              “Where were we?” Sandy asked innocently, “Oh yeah, we were talking about wages of the Guards. A new recruit earns two thousand dollars per month then there is a Twenty five dollar per diem for food. If they choose to live off base, there is a monthly stipend of seven hundred dollars for living expenses. After a year, the recruit gains another six hundred per month. By the time they reach five years they receive five thousand per month. This is veteran Soulguard pay.”

              “Do the per diems all stay the same, regardless of level of pay?”

              “Yes, and the monthly stipend is the same as well.” She answered. “One thing we spend heavily on is the body armor. We buy top of the line armor. And our swords are top of the line weapons. But swords are cheaper to operate than guns so we end up paying much less than a Military base would. Our money comes from our business endeavors ran by Warren. Whatever is left over is added to the pool of money available to the Soulguard bases across the US.”

              “How many bases do we actually have here in the US?”

              “There are six bases in the US, Knoxville, Pittsburgh, Denver, Sacramento, the Academy, and don’t laugh, Roswell New Mexico.”

              “Really, the base is in Roswell?” I laughed, “I knew it was in New Mexico but I had no idea it was Roswell.”

              “You don’t listen very well, I said don’t laugh and the first thing you did was laugh. I would have fed you awful things too.”

              “Now that’s just mean.”

              “We also have two bases in Canada, one in Alaska, and two in Mexico. Each one has business ventures to support itself, but some make more money than others. All of the money is used worldwide by the Guard wherever it needs to be used. Warren is making Knoxville one of the highest earners in the US. We’re only second to Pittsburgh right now. Soon this will no longer be the place they send screw ups, it’ll be a base like New Mexico. People will be lining up to serve here.”

              “Not just because of the money either,” Randy said in a serious tone, “More Guards are requesting to be sent here to serve under you than for the fact we are making money.”

              “I’m nothing special,” I said, “Many Mages could have done what I’ve done.”

              “We had three Mages of your power level or higher, sir, and the only one who even had a semblance of the Guard backing you do was Sam Keller. And he was still just a Mage to them,” Randy said.

              “It’s not that some Mages can or can’t do what you do,” Sandy said, “it’s the fact that they don’t do what you do. I know I can’t marshal the strength to do your job so I try to do right by you by doing my job to the best of my abilities.”

              I nodded to the Quincy twins, “Thank you.”

Chapter 48

              “Damn, that kid’s fast,” Rictor said as we watched Lyrica bouncing circles around Jacobs. He was trying to catch her but she was a blur. She would occasionally stop and stick her tongue out at him.

              Finally he turned his back to her with a grin and reached out and snagged her leg as she tried to jump back in front of him. He laughed as he dangled her in front of him and stuck his tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.

              She was giggling uncontrollably by then and Jacobs actually let one slip out too.

              “Did Ivan Jacobs just giggle?” Prada’s voice came from behind me. “I think he just giggled.”

              Jacobs looked hurt, “I do
not
giggle.”

              “Looked like a giggle to me,” Ramirez said from off to the left side of us where several Guards were enjoying the show. “Wasn’t that a giggle, Trent?”

              “Sure looked like a giggle,” He said.

              He let Lyrica loose and she shot off toward the test dummies like a flash, “I can’t believe you guys would say something like that.”

              “Ooh, did we hurt your feeling?” Trent asked.

              “His feeling? He’s only got one?” Prada asked.

              “Yep, and we hurt it.”

              I chuckled as the Guards kept up the razzing of Jacobs. I really enjoy just watching the guys and how they joke around with each other. It feels good to be a part of that camaraderie. It’s much like a sense of family. The Guard has been the only family I’ve ever known. First, Kharl and Kyra who are Soulguard to the core. Then the Guards at the Academy, I felt the same feeling with the Guards there. And now the Knoxville Guard was swiftly becoming part of my extended family.

              I know they have much the same sort of feelings for each other, I am a Soullord. I can see into their Souls and see what they’re feeling. They are all brothers and sisters in arms. And it was a great feeling to be accepted as one of them. Most Mages don’t even know what it is they are missing.

              I watched as Lyrica bounced around the dome. Kyra and Lyrica had come in to visit after they heard I’d been injured. Lyrica had grown like a weed. She was a foot taller than she was when I’d seen her last.

              She shot in my direction and landed near me without jumping in my arms like usual, “When are we going to eat?”

              “Lord, girl,” Prada said, “don’t say that word around him. If I ate as much as he does I’d be as big as a house.”

              “I think we should move this little party,” I said and then in a louder voice, “I’m buying dinner who’s up for a visit to the Chop House?”

              I called ahead. Somehow I figured they’d need a little preparation for seventeen Guards, two Mages and a couple of Soullords.

              It’s a good thing Warren was making me a crapload of money. This was gonna be expensive.

***

              “Remember that crazy shield thing he made in Chattanooga?” Lewis asked.

              “Yeah that was an easy run. We didn’t have to draw weapons till the last little bit,” Kim Salazar answered, “May have been the easiest nest I ever was in.”

              Prada snorted, “West Virginia was easier, all we had to do was kick a bunch of bombs in a hole.”

              “You gotta point,” Jacobs agreed.

              I looked at Kyra and saw a little smile on her face, “What is it?”

              “This is what I missed when we left to hide,” she said, “Not that I regret it but the Guard are a family. I’m so glad they made you a part of it instead of the way it usually is.”

              “I’m a Guard first, Mom,” I said, “Mage second.”

              “How did you break your arm?” Lyrica asked.

              “I ran into a wall, Little Angel.”

              “That’s just silly.”

              Then I heard Jacobs start singing and I winced. He was singing Rocketman and I knew it would only be moments till they had to tell that story.

              He stopped singing and looked at Lyrica, “You see, it happened like this...”

              I knew she was watching his memories because her eyes suddenly lit up and she turned to me with her mouth hanging open.

              “You were fl...”

              “Absolutely not.”

              “But...”

              “No.”

              She squirmed, “But...”

              “Definitely not.”

              “What?” Kyra asked.

              Lyrica turned to her and with amazement flowing through her aura said, “He flew.”

              The whole group of guards erupted in laughter. Jacobs paused to wait it out and finished his story. Kyra turned and looked at me with the look that she always gives me, one eyebrow arched. Then she turned to Lyrica.

              “Absolutely not.”

              “Aww,” Lyrica pouted.

              Sandy and Randy Quincy were sitting quietly on my left and I could see that they were actually enjoying being a part of this group. My Guards look at Mages totally different than they did when I got here. Perhaps I have done a little good since I arrived.

***

              “You know it wasn’t really the right thing to do don’t you?” Kyra asked.

              “Not the smartest or the best decision,” I said, “But it was the right one. If it were to do again, I’d still do it. My Guards don’t get killed when I can stop it.”

              “I know, Son,” She said, “but there will come a time when you have to weigh the consequences. And sometimes the lives have to be spent for the greater good. I’ve been around for a hundred and ninety years, most of them fighting Demons. You can’t save us all and sometimes it’s necessary to hold back to use your power for the things only you can do. You can’t do those things if you’re broken and laying on the floor.”

              “I hear you, but I don’t know if I can do that.”

              “And that’s why they love you, that’s why they’ll follow wherever you lead. And when the time comes they will give their lives for you. It’s a heavy burden to bear, but bear it you will. Always keep the values and morals you have shown. That’s what makes someone worthy of the loyalty of men and women like these. Just try to keep the consequences in mind as well.”

              “I will.”

              “Good,” She hugged me and Lyrica ran up to hug me as well.

              “Bye Angel, next time you can spar with me after you get better. Ivan is way too slow.”

              “Yes, Ma’am.”

              She giggled and ran up the steps into the plane.

              I turned and made my way back to the SUV. When I returned to the base, it was nearly midnight so I headed to my quarters. Just as I started to close my door, Andrea Prada stepped inside and I saw what was flowing across her aura.

              “I can’t...”

              She kissed me fiercely, “Shut up and accept what’s offered.”

              She pushed me backwards into the room and our Souls began to intertwine. Paige had been soft and gentle with her love making. Prada was very...energetic.